Little Tramp, Big Screen

A showcase of silent-era comedy

Should we be surprised that Mr. Beans Holiday is a big, fat flop? Maybe itll take another 100 years for Rowan Atkinson to be considered a genius, or not, like Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), whos featured in four short-film programs through October 1. Dennis James will introduce the two-reelers (thats about 22 minutes each), grouped into threes on successive Mondays. Then he fires up the Wurlitzer organ to underscore the comedy. Tonight hell pull out the stops to silent titles including The Vagabond, in which the little tramp is a penniless violin player who bravely rescues a girl from evil gypsies! (Its 1916, people, so ethnic stereotypes abound.) And then he loses her! And then it turns out the girl (Edna Purviance) may actually be a rich heiress! Will they ever be reunited? Will those damn gypsies spoil their happiness? Youll have to watch the comic melodrama to find outand maybe get hooked for the rest of the series.